By Adejayan Gbenga Gsong

No fewer than 18 nurses of Nigerian descent are currently facing charges in Texas, United States following allegations of fake educational qualifications.

This is according to a statement published on the website of the Texas board of nursing which was obtained on Sunday.

In the statement, a total of 23 practising nurses were caught in a grand fraudulent diploma/transcript scheme as revealed by an ongoing investigations.

The investigations tagged ‘Operation Nightingale,’ was described as a multi-state coordinated law enforcement action involving the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General was launched on January 25, 2023, to arrest individuals engaged in a scheme to sell false and fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts.

The Nigerians involved are; Abiodun, Yetunde Felicia; Adelakun, Abiodun Aveez; Adelekan, Joseph Adewale; Adeoye, Vivien Temitope; Adewale, Modinat Abidemi; Afolabi, Olufemi Toun; Afolabi, Omowunmi F; Agbo, Odumegwu Steve; and Ajibade, Charlot Omotayo.

Others are; Akande, Olabisi Christiana; Akhigbe, Catherine; Akinrolabu, Folasade Margaret; Ako, Esiri Rachael; Akpan, Rosemary Moses; Alimi, Bukola A; Ani, Ndirika Justina; Aroh, Nchekwube C.; and Ayodeji, Sherifat Olubunmi.

The Texas Board of Nursing further explained that the individuals involved in the scheme procured fraudulent nursing credentials which they used to sit for the national nursing board exam.

The statement partly reads, “The board has filed Formal Charges against the following nurses for fraudulently obtaining educational credentials.

“The board is authorised to file Formal Charges against a nurse if probable cause exists that the nurse has committed an act listed in Tex. Occ. Code §301.452(b) or that violates other law. See Tex. Occ. Code §301.458. Further, Formal Charges are publicly available. See Tex. Occ. Code §301.466(b).

“Please note that Formal Charges are not a final disciplinary action, and a nurse is permitted to work, as a nurse, while Formal Charges are pending.”